


Thread and Thoughts

by WeSayNosoro



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Fluff, I'm late for valentines whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 14:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13706625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeSayNosoro/pseuds/WeSayNosoro
Summary: Trying out something new is something Riko doesn't get to do all that often.





	Thread and Thoughts

"Ow!"

Riko shoved her thumb in her mouth, having been pricked by a sewing needle. This was about the fifth time she had done it so far, and she already had a plaster around two of her fingers. "Why is this so hard?" she muttered.

Her hand hovered over her phone, hesitating over whether she should just call You and throw in the towel.

"Riko-chan!"

Riko jumped in surprise upon hearing that familiar bubbly voice. She turned to see Chika looking out over her balcony, a look of confusion on her face. "Huh? You're sewing? Since when?"

Sighing, Riko stood and made her way over to her own balcony. She looked back to see the mess of fabric and needles on her bed. That would take a long time to clean up, and she was dreading it. "You-chan and I had a deal."

"A deal?"

_"Hey, why don't we change it up a bit?" You asked Riko one day before club began._

_Riko tilted her head. "What do you mean?"_

_"Well, Valentine's Day is coming up, and everyone else is doing the boring chocolate giving and present giving. I wanna do something different!"_

_"Like?"_

_You's lips spread into a large grin. She leaned back in her seat and gave Riko a determined expression. "How about, since we're good at different things, I can write you a song and you can make me an outfit or something!"_

_Riko blinked. This wasn't something she was expecting, but she knew how unpredictable You can be and how much she loved challenges. It would be a nice step out of her comfort zone, and she'd get to make something nice for her girlfriend. "I like that idea! Okay, let's do that."_

_You enveloped her in a tight hug, and Riko could tell how excited she was. The only problem was that she had underestimated how hard it was to make an outfit from scratch for the first time._

"Huh... So you really got yourself into something this time. I certainly don't envy you," Chika said with a laugh.

"I need help here!" Riko replied, exasperated. Perhaps she needed to go to bed and be more refreshed tomorrow. Except she only had a couple of days left until Valentine's, and it would be mortifying if she had nothing for You.

She briefly wondered how You was getting along with her song. She has told her that she'd never composed in her life, but she was willing to try it. The corners of Riko's mouth curled up into a small smile, remembering how You was always ready to have a go at new things.

"How about Ruby-chan?" Chika said, and Riko's eyes widened in realisation.

"Of course! She can help me! Thank you, Chika-chan!" She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that hope was not all lost yet. The junior probably wasn't in a relationship yet, and she was always happy to help. She would ask her tomorrow, and then they could spend the evening making You's present.

"No problem," Chika replied with a salute. She disappeared back into her room for dramatic effect, and the balcony door slid shut behind her.

Riko hurriedly put the fabric and sewing equipment back into her bag, feeling a weight lifting off her shoulders.

\---

When she met Ruby the next day, she was engaged in a deep conversation with Yoshiko.

"So... You want to make me dark chocolate?" Ruby said with a gulp. "I'm not sure I really like that..."

Yoshiko chuckled. "It'll be sprinkled with tasty powder from Satan that'll make it even better! Mari gave me the recipe and all. You'll love it!"

"I'll see..." Ruby's voice trailed off when she spotted Riko standing awkwardly by the door of the first year classroom. She smiled, waving her over.

Riko shuffled forward, suddenly feeling shy. Yoshiko noticed this and left them both, stating she had a ritual to attend to.

"So, uh..." Riko wasn't sure how to go about asking, especially as Ruby might not understand about relationships. However, Ruby watched her with a joyful expression, and she finally decided to speak, saving Riko the pain of having to talk first.

"Yoshiko-chan asked me on a date for Valentine's! She said she'll give me chocolate and everything, and I'm really excited!"

It took a moment for Riko to process this, and she stood stock still for a moment, staring at Ruby with her mouth agape. "You... what?" she finally said, sure that she hadn't heard her correctly.

"Yeah! I'll have to ask sis though; she doesn't want me going out with anyone too irresponsible. But she should let me go out with Yoshiko-chan!"

Riko forced a smile, feeling that she would make a fool of herself as now even Ruby has a date. "That's great! I was just wondering if you would like to help me with something."

\---

So after practice that evening, Riko and Ruby stayed behind at school to make You's present. You had said that she needed to be somewhere, and hurried off before Riko could say goodbye, and it was gnawing away at the back of her mind like a pesky little bug. This shouldn't have been a big deal, but this sudden change surprised Riko. She eventually decided to ask You about it tomorrow.

"...Then, you just sew the button on like this," Ruby said, guiding Riko's hand on the sewing needle, weaving the thread in and out of the holes. It was coming together pretty nicely, Riko had to admit. Maybe not as good as You's costumes, but it would have to do, as she was nowhere near an expert at this. Maybe You was having as much trouble making a song?

Riko shook her head. You was always the type to pick things up frustratingly quickly, and playing the piano was likely no exception. As for Riko, she was average when it came to trying new things. Not too fast, but not too slow either. Perhaps that was why she stuck with the piano for so long.

"Thanks, Ruby-chan," she said, forcing herself out of her thoughts. Ruby gave her a genuine smile.

"It's no problem! Good luck with You-chan tomorrow!"

Riko still wondered how Ruby, of all people, managed to land a date with Yoshiko, but that wasn't her concern. It was cute, in a way. And embarrassing for Riko, who took ages to finally admit her feelings to You a couple of months back.

She left the classroom that night with a relaxed smile and a spring in her step.

On her way out, she passed the music room, where she could hear a soft melody coming from the piano, despite the door being shut firmly. She paused outside for a moment, and finally decided to peek in to see who it was.

Sitting on the chair was You herself. Her eyes were narrowed in deep concentration, and her hands darted across the keys, albeit a little messily. Her hair was also tied back and there were sheets of music crookedly spread across the piano. Riko caught a missed note here and there in her playing, but it was still beautiful to her ears. She didn't want to listen in any more so it would be a surprise, so she hurried away, unable to stop a small giggle from escaping her lips.

So the reason why You was in such a rush earlier was so get as much time as possible to play. The thought warmed Riko's heart.

\---

"It's Valentine's Day!" Chika called over the balcony, almost falling over the edge in her excitement. Riko bolted up from her bed, realising she had slept in a few minutes. She went to have a shower and get ready, and she neatly folded You's present into a bag. Looking at it in the daylight, she could definitely see a few messy stitches and some loose thread in some places, but she had put everything into this, and she could only hope that You would appreciate it.

Her fingers absentmindedly stroked over the bag as she made her way to school, only half paying attention to Chika's rambling about how she hoped that Kanan had gotten her something and that she was jealous of how many chocolates You gets for Valentine's every year. Riko and You had agreed to give each other their presents after practice, so she was left glancing at the clock every few minutes to see how much time was left.

Then, finally, as Dia concluded Aqours' practice for the night and everyone headed off with their limbs aching, You immediately grabbed Riko's hand as she ran down to the music room with her. Riko had her bag with her, and for some reason, her heart was thumping.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" You said, the biggest smile embracing her features. Riko smiled too, and replied the same.

"So, uh, I'll give you mine..." Riko stuttered, thrusting the bag over to You, whose eyes lit up.

"This is so cool!"

"You haven't even opened it."

You laughed sheepishly, and Riko remembered why she loved her so much. She loved the way You was always so energetic and like the sun, always encouraging Riko to do her best.

Riko loved how she took everything in her stride and how her laugh was so infectious.

She loved everything about her, to be honest.

You opened the bag, and the moment she took out the outfit, she looked like a child who had just seen snow for the first time. Her smile got even bigger if that was possible, and she let out a gasp of awe.

"Riko-chan..." She didn't say anything else, as she leapt onto Riko in a tight hug, laughing and thanking her. It was a white dress, decorated with blue and pink flowers, with a small pink heart sewn onto the pocket. You didn't wear dresses too often, as she claimed trousers were far more practical, but Riko loved how You looked in dresses, especially during parties and other occasions, and she simply had to make one that was special to both of them.

"Like it?"

"I love it! So, so much!"

Once You had stopped gushing over the dress, she sat down at the piano, Riko sending her a reassuring smile. And she began to play.

It was the product of many hours of learning and it was the product of months of the two of them getting to know each other and slowly falling in love. You's voice was filled with emotion and everything Riko loved, and even when the song ended, it still lingered in her mind like the background music to her everything.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey let's ignore the fact that im two days late for valentines hahah  
> Honestly I wasn't even planning on putting yoharuby in here but it just happened and I don't regret it


End file.
